KL To Host Film Festival To Raise Funds To Build Schools In Palestine

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) will hold the inaugural Kuala Lumpur Palestine Film Festival to raise funds to build schools in Palestine from Feb 4 to 6. Its chairman, Dr Musa Mohd Nordin said the film festival would be launched at the GSC Pavilion here by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, who have been supporting VPM since its inception in 2009. Former British member of parliament George Galloway, who is the founder of VPM, will be a special guest at the launch of the festival, Musa told a news conference here Friday. He said five feature films and two documentaries would be screened for free during the festival to help raise funds to build 11 schools for about 9,000 Palestinian children in Palestine. "These films depict humanitarian issues and a few of them had won several international awards," he said, adding that the film festival is organised in collaboration with Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd. Meanwhile, Finas director-general Mohd Naguib Razak said the feature films entitled "Budrus", "Tears of Gaza", "Waltz With Bashir", "Abu Jamil Street" and "Inshallah Beijing" while the documentaries were "Bethlehem: Hidden From View" and "Home Front". "The films have good themes such as family values and not about protest or tragedy. They are aimed at bringing awareness on the plight and courage of the Palestinians, who are oppressed by the Israeli regime," he said. Mohd Naguib urged the public to support the film festival as a sign of social responsibility and donate to the worthy cause. -- BERNAMA